Insights Family Business Blog

Though divorce has many implications, both emotional and practical, one of its key considerations is the equitable division of assets. Oftentimes, determining how to divide the family’s assets in a manner that satisfies both parties lengthens the divorce process, especially when one of the assets is a family-owned business. Splitting the family bus

This article is part of America’s Entrepreneurs, a Next Avenue initiative made possible by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and EIX, the Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange, and was originally published here . When you’re in a family business, it’s essential that the generations work seamlessly together. That’s especially important when it

Here is a short article by Renee Morad about the founders of Womaze, a company run by four women in the same family between the ages of 17 and 52. Here they shared how they make their family business efficiently and smoothly work.
Running a business is difficult enough.

Boomers are retiring in droves. Generation X is not far behind. Millennials are taking charge of family fortunes. Now what?
Over the next 40 years, $30 trillion in financial and non-financial assets will pass from Baby Boomers to their heirs in North America,

Dennis Jaffe published an article in Forbes about what family business leaders can do after they have stepped down from their businesses. He also shared valuable and essential insights about this topic which can surely help family businesses thrive and prosper even better. Amory “Amo” Houghton Jr. followed his father and grandfather to become

A man starts his business in 1912 and runs it passionately for 30 years, then his son takes over, running it, if not passionately, at least competently, for the next 30. That man's daughter then makes it for 25 years and retires early to play golf. Now it's time to turn the family widget business over to the founder's gre

CPA Australia are great supporters of family businesses and keep ensuring their members have adequate information to serve them well. We recently recorded this podcast ("The Changing Face of Family Business - It’s Not What You Think It Is") as part of their ongoing podcast series. Family businesses are the oldest and most frequent busine

It’s not possible for your family business to solely survive by persistently doing what you’ve always been doing - simply because it has worked in the past. One way to boost your longevity chances is to practise innovation. What follows is a fantastic example of how innovation not only ensured long-term success for one family business, but c

Russ Haworth ( linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellhaworth/) records an amazing weekly podcast for family businesses. We recently recorded this conversational podcast with him showcasing our women in family business e-book. We discussed: The changing roles of women in family businesses The benefits family businesses can gain from engaging

A new year is a great time to reflect, refocus and of course, make resolutions. Traditionally, we do this on a personal level but why not consider it for your family business too? Here are a few areas to help get you started.

Family businesses account for around 70% of all businesses in Australia. And it seems women are leading the way, doing far better in leadership and management positions in family businesses than those in the non-family business sector. For example, 80% of family-owned businesses have at least one female director whereas only 17.7% of companies in the FTSE 100 have female directors.

How Much is Enough for You? Many family business leaders eventually confront the reality that simply doing more of the same to get more and more wealth is not the best use of their efforts. When this happens, what should they do next instead? It's different for everyone, but shifting their focus to the questions relating to the proper t

‘You won’t get anywhere without an education!’
It’s catchphrase countless parents have used over time and rightly so. But when it comes to your own family business, do you apply the same line of thinking? In this post, we explore some key ways family business education can enrich your working life and family.

At Insights we are committed to producing resources that equip and inspire the families behind family owned businesses to increase their effectiveness and success.
Our latest offering is an e-book presenting family business through the eyes of the women who lead and work in them – across diverse ages, cultures, roles and ownership models.

At Insights, we know first-hand that communication is at the heart of every successful family business. Many families dread the thought of a formal meeting, but we greatly admire those families that take bold, decisive action to encourage healthy communication.

This month we wanted to highlight some truly influential women in family businesses. From Australian start-up founders to multinational directors, their stories are both unique and inspirational. Sue Ismiel founded waxing company, Nad’s, after experimenting with hair-removal formulas at her kitchen table in 1991. It has since expanded into a

“You do not need the best possible organization while you are alive; you need the best possible organization that can survive.”
Every family business faces challenges. Some are easily resolved, but others, especially those involving several family members, can take years to make headway on.

Unfortunately, many families become so involved in the day-to-day running of their business that they lose sight of their long-term aspirations.
Investing the time to develop and maintain a shared vision is crucial, as it ensures there are coherent beliefs in place to unify your family and business for the long term.

The importance of women in family business cannot be understated. From the late ‘90s to 2015, the amount of women running family companies has quintupled.
Despite this progress, less than a quarter of the average family firm’s executive team is composed of women. While women wait for greater acceptance as equals in the business world, many are hard at work behind the scenes.